Closed ratchet wrench



y 24, 1955 H. L. FISH 2,708,855

CLOSED RATCHET WRENCH Filed June 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O 1, 2T T2 iIf /4 i ET & z 2 ,z-r

' we] AZ 1 W INVENTOR Y Li A HERBERT L. F/sH V ATTORNEYS May 24, 1955 H.L. FISH 2,708,855

CLOSED RA'ICHET WRENCH Filed June 28. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m. l E INVENTOR Hseaser L. F/sH ATTORNEYS United States Patent CLOSED RATCHETWRENCH Herbert L. Fish, Inglewood, Calif, assignor to Tubing ApplianceCompany, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of CaliforniaApplication June 28, 1951, Serial No. 234,078 6 Claims. (CI. 81-61) Thisinvention relates generally to wrenches and more particularly to aratchet wrench construction adaptable for use with nut-engaging socketsor having direct nutengaging members.

Wrenches of this general type are well known in the art and as a wholeare characterized by one or more disadvantages making them unsuited foruse in many important applications. In order that a wrench may be ofmaximmum utility, it is desirable that it be an all-purpose wrench asnearly as possible. For example, it should be capable of operation fromvarious angles of approach; be so constructed as to have adequatestrength without bulk, combined with the property in the case of aratchet Wrench, of being workable in restricted areas. It should be soconstructed that the stud on a nut being tightened, as it lengthens,does not dislodge the wrench and/or socket from the nut; and in the caseof a socket wrench, the various sized sockets should be readilyinterchangeable with a minimum of effort.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide animproved ratchet wrench and socket construction which will embody theabove and other desirable characteristics.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide animproved ratchet wrench construction having highly machinedcomplementary parts interfitting with a minimum tolerance as to form aself-reinforcing unitary structure substantially free from distortionand binding of the parts under high operating stresses.

Another important object is to provide an improved wrench head, handleand socket construction of the fewest operative parts possible, all ofwhich are quickly and easily assembled or replaced, strong, andeconomically and readily manufactured.

A still further important object is to provide an improved socket foruse with the wrench construction.

Another important object is to provide an improved ratchet wrench headwith which a torque wrench may be used in limited working space, withoutthe necessity of using additional adaptors or accessories.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description.

In its broadest aspects, the invention comprises a wrench handle andsocket construction in which the various parts bear on and reinforceeach other in such a manner as to have maximum strength, minimumdimensions, freedom from distortion and resultant binding of the partsand be reversible by reversing the wrench body.

In the drawings, I have shown several embodiments of the invention. Inthese showings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one form of the inventionincluding the handle;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof to an enlarged scale, the handlebeing shown in section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan View thereof with the cover plate removed showingthe ratchet hub and pawl in operative position;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view to a reduced scale of anotherform of the invention;

Figure 6 is a central vertical sectional view of the ratchet hubthereof, taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a top plan view to an enlarged scale of another form of theinvention for use with sockets;

Figure 8 is a top plan view thereof with the cover plate removed;

Figure 9 is a central vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line9-9 of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is an elevational view of one form of nutengaging socket foruse with the wrench shown in Figures 79 inclusive; and

Figure 11 is an elevational view of another form of nut-engaging socketfor use therewith.

Referring to Figures l-4 of the drawings, the wrench comprises a head 12and a handle 13 which is detachably mounted in an aperture 14 in thehead by means of a short inner shank 15. 'The handle 13 is pivotallyconnected to the shank 15 through an angle of by means of a knuckle l6and is provided with a cross bar 17 which is slidably mounted in anaperture 18. The cross bar is used primarily for leverage purposes whenthe handle 13 and the inner shank 15 are in axial alignment and mountedin the head E2.

The aperture 1d and the handle shank 15 are noncircular but conform incross-section and the sides of the aperture may be provided with agroove (not shown) for'the reception of a spring pressed ball (notshown) mounted in the shank to retain the latter in the head 12 as isconventional.

The wrench head generally indicated as 12 comprises a cover plate 20attached by screws 21 to a body portion 22 and the plate and body have acircular bore 25 formed therein which is defined by the inner edge ofthe cover plate 2% and the inner side 26 of an inwardly directed annularflange 27 formed on the body 22.

A ratchet or nut-driving hub 28 is rotatably mounted in the bore 25 andincludes a pair of annular shoulders 29 and 3t) which bear respectivelyagainst the inner edge of the cover plate and the side 26 of the flange27. The shoulders may or may not be of equal height but should terminateflush with the top and bottom surfaces of the head 12. The top andbottom edges of the hub 28 are confined between and have bearing on thebottom of the cover plate 20 and the upper surface of the flange 27respectively. The hub 23 is provided with ratchet teeth 35 about itsperiphery and includes a central aperture 36 on the sides of which areformed hex nut-engaging teeth 38.

A flat leaf type pawl 40 is pivotally mounted in a generally circularrecess 41 in the body 22 and is urged against the ratchet teeth 35 bymeans of a spring 42.

It will be noted that the heavy flange 27 strongly rein: forces the body22 at the point of application of torsional stresses thereto and isreinforced by the cover plate 20 when tightly screwed to the body 22.The ratchet hub 28 is thus snugly received and strongly and rotatablyheld against distortion during the application of high stresses by theconfining and bearing surfaces of the flange 27, the cover plate 20, andtheir inner edges which snugly bear against the shoulders 30 and 29,respectively.

In-use the wrench head is positioned adjacent a nut over which it isthen axially moved until the nut-engaging teeth 38. formed in the sidesof the hub aperture3'6 engage the sides .of the nut. The handle 13 isthen oscillated to rotate the hub 28 by action of the pawl 40 and thenut is thus tightened or loosened as the case may be. The action isreversed by removing the head 12 from the nut, detaching the handle 13from the aperture 14 and reinserting it in the other side. The wrench isthen placed over the nut as described above and oscillation of thehandle 13 will rotate the hub in a reverse direction.

It will be appreciated that the handle 13 may be pivoted through a full360 degree angle, 180 degrees on each side of the head 12. It will benoted that this does not reverse the action of the wrench unless thehead 12 is also reversed. This ability to pivot the handle more than 180degrees by reinserting it in the opposite side is very important,especially when taken with the fact that the wrench may originally beplaced in the handle at either of two positionsparallel to the plane ofthe head or at 90 degrees thereto. This enables the wrench to be used atalmost any angle.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures and 6, the wrench headcomprises a cover plate 46 which is adapted to confine a ratchet hub 47between it and the body 48. The body includes a handle receivingaperture 49, a generally circular recess 50 for the reception of a pawl51 and a spring 52 for urging the pawl into operative position againstratchet teeth, and a pair of threaded apertures so that the cover plate46 may be strongly and rigidly attached thereto by means of screws.

A bore 53 is formed in the left end of the head 45 as seen in Figure 5and it will be noted that the body 48 adjacent the bore 53 has beenreduced to a thickness approximately equal to that of the cover plate 46to form an arcuate shoulder 54 intersecting the recess 50 from which thepawl 51 projects. The ratchet hub 47 is provided with ratchet teeth 55throughout its periphery and annular shoulders 56 and 57. The hub isrotatably mounted in the bore 53 with the shoulders 56 and 57 snuglyreceived and bearing respectively against the sides of the bore in thecap 46 and the body 48. An aperture 58 is formed centrally of the huband the sides of the aperture are provided with hex nut-engaging teeth59.

It will be readily apparent that the described structure snugly andrigidly confines the ratchet hub 47 for rotation therein in the generalmanner described with respect to the form shown in Figures 14 inclusive.The

lower and upper surfaces of the cover plate and the body adjacent thebore 53 bear respectively on the upper and lower surfaces of the hubadjacent the teeth 55 while the sides of the shoulders bear against theedges of the bore formed in the cover plate and the body. A very strongwrench head is thus provided and the top and bottom surfaces of theshoulders 56 and 57 being substantially flush with the surfaces of thehead 45, minimum dimensions are maintained without a sacrifice ofstrength or rigidity.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 7-9 inclusive of thedrawings, the wrench head generally indicated as 60 comprises a coverplate 61 attached by screws to a generally oval shaped body 62, bothcover plate and body having a bore 64 formed therein. A ratchet hub 63is rotatably mounted in the bore 64 as will be further described, andincludes a central aperture 65. The hub is provided with ratchet teeth66 about its entire periphery.

An annular flange 67 forming a part of the body 62 and bounded by agroove 68 surrounds the base of the bore 64 (Figure 9). The hub 63 isguided and strongly reinforced in its rotation in the bore by adepending annular flange 69 formed on the hub 63 and bearing in thegroove 68. The annular flange 69 is also bounded by a groove 70 in whichthe body flange 67 bears, that is the body flange 67 and body groove 68are complementary to the hub groove 70 and the hub flange 69,respectively. It will be noted that the shoulders 71 of the hub 63 bearagainst and are reinforced by both the inside edges of the cover plate61 and the flange 67 which define the bore 64.

A pair of flat pawls 73 are pivotally mounted in recesses 74 of the body62 and are urged against the ratchet teeth 66 by spring members 75. Thepawls 73 and the hub 63 are retained in the body 62 by means of thecover plate 61 and the body 62 and the plate are provided with a wrenchhandle receiving non-circular aperture 76.

The hub 63 has a central aperture formed therein and the inner facesthereof are adapted to receive the shank of a nut-engaging socket. Tothis end, the sides of the aperture are provided with a pair ofsubstantially hookshaped driving shoulders 77, thereby providingrecesses for the ends 78 of an arcuate-shaped socket shank 79 (Figures71 0 inclusive). The nut-engaging sockets which may be used with theratchet hub 63, such as the socket 80 shown seated in the aperture ofthe hub 63, may be of all standard sizes and of any conventionalconstruction on the nut-engaging end. The sockets may be of any desireddepth and as shown are provided with an axially extending shank 79 witharcuate shape, its outer face being contiguous with the sides of theaperture formed in the hub 63.

It will be noted that the ends 78 of the arcuate shank 79 terminate indriven faces 81 which are inclined at an acute angle to the sides of theaperture and that the angle of the driving faces is greater than theangle of the faces of the driving shoulders 77. By this means,potentially distorting contact between the shank 79 and the drivingshoulders is prevented. Thus, the hookshaped driving shoulders 77,although subject to a great deal of direct strain, will not be peenedover nor the hooked shoulders bent out of line. Instead, the torquingforces will be directly absorbed by the innermost angles of theshoulders and the stresses will be distributed throughout the drivinghub 63 hearing against the edges of the cover plate and the flange 67.

In Figure 11, I have shown the modified form of socket 82 in which theopen portion of the shank is continued downwardly through the socketportion so as to form a slot 83 throughout the vertical height of thesocket and shank. The advantage of the socket 82 over socket 80 is thatin its application to a nut to be tightened or loosened, the socket 82may be slid laterally over a pipe or tubular conduit and then axiallyover the nut whereas the socket 80 may only he slid axially over the nuthead.

The wrench and sockets disclosed in Figures 7-11 inclusive of thedrawings are operated in the manner previously described in connectionwith the other forms of the invention. It will be appreciated that therotary hub 63 is strongly reinforced and guided not only by thecomplementary body and hub flanges and groove described but that theshoulders of the hub are further guided and bear against the edges ofthe cover plate 61 and flange 67 which define the bore 64. Moreover, theupper and lower faces of the shoulders of the hub 63 terminate flushwith the upper and lower faces of the wrench head 60 to thus provideminimum over-all dimensions therefor.

The wrench forms disclosed in the drawings may be made of any suitableferrous material and chrome molybdenum steel has been found to be highlysatisfactory. The surfaces of the various mating parts may be highlymachined so as to avoid friction and permit close tolerances to be used.It will be obvious that the improved ratchet wrench heads disclosed maybe used with a torque wrench in limited working space without thenecessity of using additional adaptors or accessories.

It will be readily apparent that the forms of the inven tion disclosedare of great utility in applications where space is limited and willwithstand high stresses without distortion or binding of the parts dueto their reinforcing and guiding structure. The nut-engaging socketswhich may be readily replaced with others of different sizes distributethe torque stresses to the hub and body of the wrench and the directionof rotation of the hub may be readily reversed as described.

grosses It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewithshown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the sameand that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention orthe scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A wrench of the type described comprising: a closed head having anannular bore therein; a hub journaled for rotation in said bore, saidhub having an opening presenting an internal cylindrical wall concentricwith the axis of rotation of the hub; abutment means internally carriedby said hub and projecting inwardly of said cylindrical wall; areplaceable nut-engaging socket having a hub engaging portion adapted tobe inserted axially into said opening, said portion having an externalarcuate surface complementary to said cylindrical wall and adapted tolie contiguous thereto in the inserted position of said portion; anabutment formed at the opposite ends of said arcuate surface andengageable with said abutment meansof the hub to provide drivingconnection between the hub and said socket; and ratchet meansoperatively connecting the head and the hub whereby the hub and thesocket engaged therewith may be rotated upon rotation of the head.

2. A wrench of the type described, comprising: a closed head having abore therein; a hub journaled for rotation in said bore, said hub havingan opening formed therethrough presenting an internal cylindrical wallsurface concentric with the axis of rotation of said hub; ratchet drivemeans operatively connecting the head and said hub whereby the hub maybe rotated upon rotation of the head; shoulders carried by andcircumferentially spaced apart on said cylindrical wall surface; and areplaceable nut engaging socket having a hollow hub engaging portionadapted to be inserted axially into said opening, said portion having anexternal arcuate surface corresponding to said cylindrical wall surfaceand adapted to lie contiguous thereto in the inserted position of saidportion; and a pair of faces formed on the ends of said portion andengaging respectively said spaced apart shoulders in the insertedposition of said portion to provide a driving connection between the huband said socket.

3. A wrench, comprising: a head having a bore therein; a hub journaledfor rotation in said bore, said huh having an opening formed thereinpresenting an internal cylindrical wall concentric with the axis ofrotation of the hub; ratchet means operatively connecting the head andthe hub whereby the hub may be rotated upon rotation of the head;driving shoulders carried by said hub and projecting inwardly of saidwall, said shoulders being circumferentially spaced apart and presentingoppositely directed drive faces; and a replaceable nutengaging sockethaving a hub engaging portion adapted to be inserted axially into saidopening, said portion having an external arcuate surface correspondingto said cylindrical wall and adapted to lie contiguous thereto in theinserted position of said portion, the end faces of said arcuate surfacebeing spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between said driveface and engaging the same in the inserted position of said portion toprovide driving connection between the hub and the socket.

4. A wrench, comprising: a head having a bore therein; a hub journaledfor rotation in said bore, said hub having an opening formed thereinpresenting an internal cylindrical wall concentric with the axis ofrotation 0f the hub; ratchet means operatively connecting the head andthe hub whereby the hub may be rotated upon rotation of the head;driving shoulders carried by said hub and projecting inwardly of'saidwall, said shoulders being circumferentially spaced apart and presentingoppositely directed drive faces; and a replaceable nut-engaging sockethaving a hub engaging portion adapted to be inserted axially into saidopening, said portion having an external arcuate surface correspondingto said cylindrical wall and adapted to lie contiguous thereto in theinserted position of said portion, the end faces of said arcuate surfacebeing spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between said drivefaces and engaging the same in the inserted position of said portion toprovide driving connection between the hub and the socket; the faces ofsaid shoulders and the end faces of said arcuate portion being angularlyinclined with respect to said opening, the faces of said arcuate endportions being inclined at a greater angle with respect to said openingthan the faces of said shoulders,

5. A replaceable workpiece-engaging member for ratchet wrenches having adriving member presenting an internal cylindrical wall surface havingcircumferentially spaced, inwardly projecting driving shoulders,comprising: a body having wall means shaped to engage a workpiece to beturned; a hollow shank coaxially extending from said body and having anexternal arcuate surface adapted to correspond to and lie contiguouswith the internal wall surfaces of the driving member; and an abutmentformed at the opposite marginal edges of said arcuate surface engageablewith said driving shoulders thereby to mount said workpiece engagingmember for rotation with the driving member of said Wrench.

6. A replaceable socket for ratchet Wrenches having a driving memberpresenting an internal cylindrical wall surface having circumferentiallyspaced inwardly projecting driving shoulders, comprising: a nut-engagingbody portion; and a hollow shank coaxially extending from said bodyportion and formed with a longitudinally extending slot, said shankpresenting an external arcuate surface complementary to said internalcylindrical wall surface of the driving member and adapted to liecontiguous thereto after said shank has been inserted axially of saidcylindrical wall surface, the defining edges of said slot formingcircumferentially spaced abutments engageable with said drivingshoulders whereby said socket is rotatably driven with the driv ingmember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS670,091 Uvaas Mar. 19, 1901 807,637 Pipkin Dec. 19, 1905 827,846 Bowseret al. Aug. 7, 1906 864,007 Lyon Aug. 20, 1907 883,309 Gafifcken Mar.31, 1908 898,806 Walker Sept. 15, 1908 1,448,053 Calvin Mar. 13, 19231,643,814 Peterson Sept. 27, 1927 1,643,855 Peterson Sept. 27, 19271,868,840 McNaught et al. July 26, 1932 2,578,687 Fish Dec. 18, 1951FOREIGN PATENTS 17,542 Great Britain 1907

